Pope's bombshell sends troubled church scrambling

ASSOCIATED PRESS

February 12, 2013 01:00 AM

In this photo provided by the Vatican newspaper L'Osservatore Romano, Pope Benedict XVI reads a document in Latin where he announces his resignation, during a meeting of Vatican cardinals, at the Vatican, Monday, Feb. 11, 2013. Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign Feb. 28 - the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March. (AP Photo/L'Osservatore Romano, ho)L'Osservatore Romano

ASSOCIATED PRESS

February 12, 2013 01:00 AM

VATICAN CITY -- With a few words in Latin, Pope Benedict VXI did what no pope has done in more than half a millennium, stunning the world by announcing his resignation Monday and leaving the Catholic Church to replace the leader of its 1 billion followers by Easter.

Not even his closest associates had advance word of the news, a bombshell that he dropped during a routine morning meeting of Vatican cardinals. And with no clear favorites to succeed him, another surprise likely awaits when the cardinals elect Benedict's successor in March.

"Without doubt this is a historic moment," said Cardinal Christoph Schoenborn, a protégé and former theology student of Benedict's who is considered a papal contender. "Right now, 1.2 billion Catholics the world over are holding their breath."

The move allows for a fast-track conclave to elect a new pope, since the traditional nine days of mourning that would follow a pope's death doesn't have to be observed. It also gives Benedict, 85, great sway over the choice of his successor. Though he will not himself vote, he has hand-picked the bulk of the College of Cardinals -- the princes of the church who will elect his successor -- to guarantee his conservative legacy and ensure an orthodox future for the church.

The Vatican said Benedict would live in a congregation for cloistered nuns inside the Vatican, although he will be free to go in and out.